Reverberating Doom
by hitokiri midori
Summary: [AU] The Sound-nins form a band. Naturally, all hell ensues. Kin's under pressure to get the prestigious Top Female Student Award. The two raggedy members of her band will help her in a way no award could ever do.
1. Part One

**REVERBERATING DOOM**

By Hitokiri Midori

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Rating:** PG for some swearing

**Genre:** General [AU = alternate universe]

**Started:** August 4, 2004 [12:28AM]

**Summary:** [AU] The Sound-nins form a band. Naturally, all hell ensues. Kin's under pressure to get the prestigious Top Female Student Award. The two raggedy members of her band will help her in a way no award could ever do.

**Author's Notes:** They rock, and so needed a fic for them. Being the kind, compassionate person that I am, I decided to- cough I'm honored to try to write a fanfic about three of the most interesting genin at the Chuunin Exams. I don't plan for this to be very long, so please enjoy, and reviews make my day! No flames, please. I'm always open to constructive criticism.

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**PART ONE**

"She's late."

"Chill."

"She's late!" Dosu screeched, just to annoy his band mate.

"Argh! I swear! Sometimes, your voice is even shriller than Kin's." Zaku groaned, covering his ears. "If she doesn't show, we could use you for the lead vocalist in this song."

Dosu rolled his eyes, but you could only see one eye. It was the only one that mattered anyway.

Speaking of one eye, Zaku opened one, so he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of opening both and disturbing his left eye from his pseudo nap. "Don't you think you're overdoing the whole 'bondage' look? Besides, you look like you're wearing white, which his totally out of fashion. In case you don't keep up with trends, pink is the new black." Zaku informed Dosu, nodding every once in a while to accentuate.

Dosu paused. "Zaku… what the hell are you talking about?" He shook his head. "No, never mind. Just shut up."

Zaku looked away. "I'm just reporting what I hear," He grumbled, when the door was nearly knocked over.

Kin, looking very stressed out, rushed in carrying a messenger bag along with a backpack, which was open. Books and papers were falling everywhere, and she had amassed a large amount already in her hands. Dumping the contents onto the ground of Dosu's apartment, she collapsed on her knees. Her long dark hair, which was pin-straight and hung down limply, was sticking in several directions due to some nasty disagreements with her leopard-print headband. Dark bags hung under her eyes, which she rubbed once in a while just to make sure she was still alive.

"I am still alive, right? Is this a dream? Oh, god, please don't let this be a dream… Is it truly… peaceful here?" She looked so hopeful; anyone with a heart would assure her everything was true.

"No. This is just a dream, Kin." Zaku smirked, leaning forward on his beanbag, electric guitar in his lap. "You'll wake up any second now, and you'll be in the middle of your classroom, _naked_ and missing your report… then Morino-sensei's gonna eat you alive!"

Kin paled. "This… this is a dream?"

Just then, Zaku fell forward with a sudden lurch, he nearly fell on Kin. If it weren't from reflexes from studying martial arts together when they were younger, the two were able to evade what would be a most awkward situation.

"Dosu! What was that for?" Zaku grumbled, massaging the back of his head. "That kick was cruel."

"That joke was cruel." He pointed out. "She's obviously stressed." He jabbed a bandaged thumb towards Kin.

True, she _was_ stressed out. Besides the varying state of disarray her school uniform and hair was, her binders had all opened and papers were strewn over Dosu's meticulously cleaned and polished hardwood floor. Shreds from pencil sharpening poured onto his leopard skin rugs, and it was all the boy could do to restrain himself from attacking his band mate. He loved order, and currently, Kin was the epitome of disorder.

"What's up?" Zaku asked, leaning back casually, a look of concern crossing his face. A look of concern on Zaku's face could easily be mistaken for twisted malice, so Kin was not reassured at all by this act of compassion. "You've lost your cool. Suddenly, it's like you're all, 'Whooo!'" He made a few face motions to accentuate his precise language.

Dosu rolled his eyes. "Now I know why you failed English."

Zaku narrowed his eyes and glared at Dosu. "Well, you… you… yo' mamma!" He spat after a few failed attempts to make a retort. Dosu was pretty sure his eyes would fall out if he rolled them anymore.

"Er, guys? Back to my crisis?" Kin reminded them.

"What _is_ your crisis?"

Kin stood up, and shook her head, groaning. Plopping on the couch next to Zaku, she took in a deep breath and then relaxed.

"You guys know how I'm trying to get the Top Female Student Award, right?" The other two nodded.

"It's all you talked about all summer." Zaku grumbled, remembering how often their band practice was interrupted by Kin's occasional fiery spirit announcing her determination for the award. "How's that going?"

"I'm doing really well, academically." Kin began, ticking it off on her fingers. "I'm able to keep up, even if I have all advanced classes. I play lacrosse and I also do volleyball. My flute lessons earned me Best Female Flutist Award at the last performance, and my art lessons aren't going too bad either."

Dosu coughed, but it suspiciously sounded like, "Your stick figures _are_ a work of art," but he adopted a mysterious cold following the suspicious cough and Kin couldn't make out what he said.

"So what's the problem? It sounds like everything's working great for you." Zaku grinned widely, managing to make himself look utterly frightening, and leaned forward. Putting his elbows on his knees and looking to his left, where Kin was sitting very demurely, he added, "You've even got this great band thing going."

"Yes, yes, that's all great, but my problem isn't related to anything like that." Kin waved his comment away.

"Do you not have enough time for anything?" Dosu asked. "We can schedule our appearance into the scene to a later time. We could even wait until after finals."

"No, that's too far away! My problem is… when the award is picked, they look at something else besides academics, sports, and extra curricular activities." Kin swallowed, blanching. "Sensei only told me about it today. I have major competition for the award… apparently, the top female student also has to be very social."

"So, basically what you're saying is the top girl has to be popular?" Dosu asked, stretching out on the top of the sofa back. His knee kept hiding Zaku's head, so Zaku was too busy fussing to notice what Dosu just suggested.

"Yes." Kin looked down sadly. "I'm not a people person. The other students are absolute morons. I wouldn't get to know them if you tied me up and cut me a thousand times-"

"We get the picture." Dosu interrupted. "But it's not that hard to befriend some of the people here. You don't have to know _everybody_, just the ones that count. Get to know the most popular girl and boy, and everything else will follow."

"Who _are_ the most popular girl and boy in our grade?" Kin looked puzzled. "I never noticed them. I don't notice trivial people."

"They're in class C. You're in A, right? You probably wouldn't know them. It's a bunch of snooty little pricks and bimbos, that group." Zaku shook his head. "But we know 'em. There's this dark-haired guy who everybody thinks is some sort of knockout… I forget his name… and this freaky _girly_ girl with pink hair…"

"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura," Dosu filled in for Zaku, who was currently still attempting to remember their names. "I wouldn't suggest befriending Uchiha." Dosu warned. "He's a moody guy."

Kin huffed. "I can handle him! You know as well as I do, Dosu-_chan_, that I used to whoop your ass all the time in karate…"

"When we were six." Dosu finished, smirking. "I'd like to see you lay a finger on me now-"

"THINK FAST!" Kin let loose a mighty battle cry, and shoved Zaku, who was too distracted with recalling the names of the most popular boy and girl in school to notice Kin approaching him. She pushed Zaku into Dosu, and the two boys immediately began their childish ritual and tried to separate themselves. After the confusion, Dosu took a deep breath and opened his eyes…

To see Kin's fist right in front of his face. She held it exactly in front, just a hair widths away from his face. Dosu narrowed his eyes.

"Fine. You win." He admitted, eyeing her fist warily. "That was cheap." He muttered. Zaku, who had been pushed off the sofa and onto the floor, agreed fervently with a violent bobbing of his head.

"You play _dirty_, Kin!" He protested, rubbing his inured backside and nursing his pride. Kin pushed Dosu around like a rag doll when it came to these situations, but she was always one to cave under pressure. But what did that make him? He was the one Dosu pushed around like unwanted vegetables on a dinner plate. Did he ever have a say in anything?

Zaku looked towards his two friends. They were probably his only friends. Kin had a triumphant look on her face, while Dosu was sore from the soiling of his dignity and having to admit victory to his long-time sparring partner, up until Kin had to quit karate from a heavy schedule.

Suddenly, his worries were appeased and he let loose a laugh. "You guys are… just too much…" He shook his head, tears dabbing the corners of his eyes from the laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Kin demanded, pouting.

"Nothing, nothing…"

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**END NOTES:**

1) The reference about pink being the new black is to mock what Hot Topic preaches.

2) Kin's voice REALLY is too high-pitched in the anime. I wish Paku Romi (who did Temari's voice) did Kin. Maybe I'm just being biased since Paku-san also did Heimdall.

3) I made Zaku the loud, boisterous type of guy in the team. His equivalent in Team 7 would be Naruto, and Kiba for Team… eight, was it? I don't remember.


	2. Part Two

**REVERBERATING DOOM**

By Hitokiri Midori

**Started:** August 4, 2004 [8:11PM]

**Author's Notes:** Well, the story continues. Let's hear a collective "Doooooom."

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**PART TWO**

"It's not going to be that hard… it's gonna be alright…" Kin assured herself, humming nervously while tying a purple hair ribbon at the end of her long hair. "It's just some bimbo and a cold prick." She repeated. "A handsome prick, but an annoying little bug nonetheless. All I have to do is befriend them…"

"_Kin_, hurry _up_!" Zaku whined on the other side of the bathroom door. "I really gotta go!"

Kin ignored her roommate's comment and continued brushing her hair and retying the ribbon over and over again.

"Come on! What are you doing in there? See, this is why girls are annoying." Zaku shook his head furiously. It was still early in the morning, and he needed to seriously _pee_. What was taking that girl so long? He wished he had begged Dosu some more to room with him instead of boarding up with Kin, but Dosu could afford a nice apartment and was so stingy about anything, anyway. Kin was relaxed with these types of things. They shared a cheap apartment with only two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room with a kitchen area attached. Well, she used to be relaxed with these types of things. Lately, she hadn't been relaxed about anything.

"KIN! If you don't get out, I'm kicking the door down!" Zaku warned, shouting now. Kin rolled her eyes. She was decently dressed, and all Zaku would do with this action was anger the landlord and embarrass himself with the neighbor ladies. They were already suspicious of two teenagers, a boy and a girl, nonetheless, boarding together. They never bothered to listen to the stories of how their parents didn't really give a damn. Kin's parents used to love her… she remembered that warm companionship. But now, all she had were Zaku and Dosu, and her studies. She would dedicate herself to her studies. She had to get that award.

"I'M COMING!" Zaku boomed. Kin sensed trouble if the door was broken, since that would only cost more expenses. She unlocked the door and opened it just as Zaku charged at it, creating a classic cartoon scene were the charger stumbled and fell. Zaku did just that, but wasted no time climbing to the toilet. Taking her brush with her and groaning, Kin relented her hold on her bathroom fortress and retreated to her room to put on her uniform.

They attended a private high school, which was the only reason they had to wear the uniform. Kin didn't think she looked too bad in the brown uniform, which really flattered her figure. The boys were luckier than the girls were, and didn't have to wear that horrid shade of brown. They had navy blazers and ties, as well as a crisp white shirt.

Of course, Zaku never wore the tie. His blazer was always open and most of the time, hanging off one shoulder. Dosu was strange about the uniform. He was always covered in bandages, and even tucked in his shirt. Every time she saw him, his shirt buttons were buttoned to the top. She wasn't sure why he had so many bandages on all the time, but the teachers never questioned him, so she assumed it was a medical reason. She didn't really care. She had known these two since they were children. Even when they were young, their parents didn't want to have to take care of them all the time. They were all sent to the same karate dojo, and ended up being the only students that stayed year after year.

She didn't mind them, really. They were good people, if you looked past Zaku's slightly sadistic personality and Dosu's intimidating front. Zaku was a sheepish boy who liked smiling in his own way, and Dosu liked organization and didn't like intrusion. That was what she thought, but people at didn't school think so. Zaku and Dosu were a bit infamous for being… bullies.

When they first heard of their reputation, the two burst out laughing. They rarely _seriously_ bullied anyone… there were only a few broken limbs from cutting in front of them in line, or making remarks about Dosu's bandages… the like. But, their social status didn't exactly help Kin's case. They were considered too "dorky" to even frighten people into voting for her at the award nominations, but too scary to make people want to willingly hang out with them.

Kin sighed, smoothing out her skirt. Zaku had sauntered into her room, blazer open and tie hanging astray, as usual. Picking up his light school bag, he made a gesture for the door. Kin nodded, putting her bag on and straightening out her hair.

"For the last time, it looks fine."

What?

Was she hearing things?

Kin turned to face the boy, who wasn't looking at her anymore. He stared at the ground with an awkward sort of concentration. "Pardon?"

"I said, your hair looks fine." Zaku mumbled. "Quit fiddling with it."

Kin paused, awestruck. Never, in all the years she has known Zaku, has he _ever_ mentioned anything that could be taken as a compliment in one way or another. She didn't know if he's ever complimented anyone in his life.

Laughing brightly and slapping her old friend on the back, she yelled, "Thanks!" before locking the door to their apartment behind her and breaking into a run on the way to school. "I'll race you!"

Zaku rolled his eyes. "You may have caught me off guard back there, but you _know_ I'm faster than you."

Of course, that last line was a lie. Zaku did better than anyone else on the pull-up bars. He held on to them for over fifteen minutes, which narrowly beat the record set by Uchiha Sasuke. That name again! No matter what Kin did, she couldn't get away from that horrible name. She would have to eventually befriend one of them…

Her gaze flickered to the pink haired girl talking to a blonde girl. They were both annoying, and personally, Kin would have never even wanted to be within a fifteen-mile vicinity of the two. However, this was a special situation, and in special situations, Kin would have to find the socialist hiding deep inside her… under a couple thousand layers of rock and the backside of Akimichi Chouji. God forbid.

"Hi there!" Kin summoned a cheery smile, sitting down next to Sakura. Sakura and Ino, the previously mentioned blonde girl, were wearing hiked up green shorts and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "I'm Tsuchi Kin! I don't know if you know me or anything, but you're in a lot of my classes!"

"Oh, _hello_, Tsuchi-chan!" Sakura greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Ino grinned in a sugary sweet way. Kin wasn't sure if she was being sincere or not. However, she caught the blonde-haired woman eyeing her long, navy sweatpants and white shirt with the sleeves unrolled and hanging down to her elbows.

"So, I've noticed you so many times!" Kin continued, her fake smile beginning to hurt her face. "I love your hair! What do you do to it?"

"Oh, hair is a nasty demon!" Ino chirped quickly. "Long hair is an incredible hassle."

"Why don't you just cut it short?" Kin gaped at the two, the old Kin resurfacing. She winced inwardly when she saw the two girl's offended looks.

"You don't know? Sasuke _loves_ girls with long hair. That's why we're growing ours out!" Sakura answered. Kin unconsciously thought of her own dark locks that were longer than anyone else's in the school.

"Really? That's nice to know." Kin searched her mind for something to say. She had already complimented their hair. What do you say to compliment a girl like them, anyway? She had used the hair comment, so now she had to say something about their boyfriend… or in their case, their stalkee.

"That Uchiha boy is pretty good looking, hmm?" She brought up idly.

"Yes…" Starry looks entered their eyes. "I want to be Homecoming Queen with him…" They cooed simultaneously, before glaring at each other.

"Don't you go for him," Ino warned, reverting her gaze to Kin since she decided a staring contest with Sakura was a waste of time. "You're nice and all, but we've got too much competition as it is."

Kin laughed fakely. Her? Go for that pretty boy? She mentally scoffed. Instead of voicing her opinions, with poisonous sweetness lacing her voice, she said, "I'm sure one of you two ladies will be with him. I wish you luck!"

Sakura and Ino grinned.

"That Tsuchi-chan! She's so nice! She must mean me, but doesn't want to hurt Ino-pig's feelings." Sakura grinned widely.

"Oh, what a nice girl Kin-san is! She must mean me, but doesn't want to hurt Wide-forehead's feelings!" Ino told herself, before giving Kin a wide smile.

"Tell you what, Kin-san! Why don't you eat lunch with us today?" Ino offered.

Kin considered this. She usually ate a quick yogurt or banana while she was doing extra credit or studying in the library. Occasionally, she grabbed a bite to eat with Zaku and Dosu when they were running off campus for lunch. Still, she had nothing to lose… it was the period right before finals, when homework was easy and classes stable. Her academics had nothing to lose.

"Sure! Why not?" Kin returned the grin, her cheeks beginning to sting.

"We'll see you then! We can introduce you to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called as she waved to Kin, who was walking away. With her back to the two, she let out a sigh of relief.

"That was hard. That was way too hard." Kin groaned. "How am I going to keep this up all through lunch?" Stalking through the parking lot, she ignored the fact that her gym class was currently running laps. She could pretend that she was taking a rest against this nice wall…

She looked around, suddenly realizing what area she was in. Her school had a notorious 'crack hall' full of shady figures and minor crimes. No girl wanted to be caught alone with this area. In fact, even a horde of girls wouldn't want to be caught in this area. It was probably safest with about, oh,… fifteen of your closest guy friends.

Kin looked around wildly. She was too busy wondering what she would do for lunch to remember where the rest of her class was. It was probably best to get back through the parking lot… She didn't like how dark it was in this small nick in the building. The walls were stained with graffiti, and the height of the wall blocked out the sun.

She felt the person coming before he ever touched her. An arm slithered around her waist, and she struggled to get free. "Kin…" The voice hissed in her ear. It was surprisingly seductive, but Kin was so mortified, she had no problem breaking away from the stranger's advances. "Do you want me?" He whispered again, his breath blowing in her ear lightly. Squirming from his grasp, she was surprised at his strength. She was probably stronger than most girls were in her grade because of her karate, but this stranger held her as if she was a weak, limp, rag doll.

"LET ME GO!" She shrieked. "RAPE! RAPE!"

The figure retreated, mumbling. "I'm not going to rape you… I just want you to love me…"

"Show yourself!" Kin demanded, using the growing distance between them to make a dash for the end of the wall. She stood posed in the barrier from the dark area to the parking lot.

"ATTACKER!" She screamed loudly, before turning her attention back to the stranger. "Show yourself, or I'll keep screaming," She hissed. She wasn't a weak girl you could just attack like that.

There was a chuckle. "Feisty. I like that type of girl. You're an interesting chick, Tsu-chi Kin-san." The stranger accented every syllable of her name, before letting his face come into the shadows. He had a horrible, pale face with dark slits for eyes and a long, writhing tongue. It almost made Kin sick to her stomach. He was much taller than she was, so she guessed he was a senior.

Flicking her gaze to her right, she saw three boys come running towards her direction. They were in her gym class, so she assumed they heard her cries. "Don't ever even _look_ at me again," She hissed at the pale senior.

Instead of getting the desired frightened effect, he laughed. "Don't think you can bully me, Kin-chan. I'll be back later…" He disappeared into the shadows.

Kin sighed heavily. _Now_ what? This was unfair. Life was unfair.

"Hey! Girl! Are you alright?" A boisterous blonde boy boomed across the parking lot. Kin nodded, and walked across.

"What happened?" A rather unattractive boy with a bowl cut and dark hair asked gallantly. Kin couldn't help but giggle slightly at his thick eyebrows and long, lower eyelashes.

"Some senior attacked me when I was over there." Kin jabbed a thumb behind her. "He's gone now, but he said he'd come back again."

"Mmm." Came a mumble of understanding. Just then, Kin realized who the third person of her "rescue squad" was. Uchiha Sasuke.

"U-Uchiha-san?" She gaped. He rolled his eyes. This was great, just great. She was another addition to the growing Sasuke Fan Club.

"It's a pleasure to meet the top male student!" Kin grinned, and shook his hand eagerly, much to his surprise.

The bowl-cut boy looked surprised, also. He, too, had been expecting her eyes to turn into hearts and start ogling over the handsome boy. Only boys ever acknowledged his achievements beyond maintaining the most perfect face and figure ever to grace the face of Konoha Private High. Girls were shallow people, he decided.

"Are you three in my gym class?" Kin questioned. "I don't remember seeing any of you… then again, I don't remember seeing anyone…"

"Oh no! Did the attack hinder your memory?" The blonde yelled in alarm. "Stand back! I'll expel the evil spirits-"

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke grumbled.

"You don't remember us? I'm hurt!" Bowl-cut boy looked seriously offended. "I am the beautiful green beast of Konoha Private High… ROCK LEE!"

Kin shook his hand reluctantly, and eyed him.

"Yes? Are you admiring my beauty?" Lee joked, knowing very well she wasn't admiring his looks.

"You've got great eyelashes," Kin said suddenly. "I wish mine were as long as yours. It makes me envious."

Lee was stunned.

"And I am Uzumaki Naruto! Don't forget the name… er… what was your name again?"

"Tsuchi Kin." She shook hands with Naruto. Tipping her head towards Sasuke, she acknowledged, "Uchiha Sasuke-san."

Sasuke nodded.

"Feel free to call him Sasuke-kun, Tsuchi-san." Lee laughed, and Sasuke mumbled something similar to a "Fine."

"Every other girl does." Naruto added, slightly grumpily.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be like every other girl then, would I?" Kin winked, walking away with her back facing the three.

"That was some magnificent acting earlier, Kin." Kin came around to the place her class had congregated.

"You were watching the whole thing?" Kin raised an eyebrow. She knew Dosu was observant, but he was just too alert sometimes. "From when?"

"From when you started talking to the two girls."

"So? What do you think? Should I be in drama, or what?"

"Except for the part where you had to stretch your face muscles. Don't smile much?"

Kin smacked Dosu lightly. "Don't kid like that. I was invited for lunch with them, and even got introduced to some of the guys early. I'm making progress."

"I still don't get it." Dosu grumbled. "How is befriending those losers going to make you popular enough to get the award?"

"Everybody looks up to Sasuke-kun. He has so many admirers, they'd probably turn on each other in a blink of an eye. If a girl who is only _friends_ with him shows up, they'd all befriend her like crazy. Every girl wants an easy access to information, but not a rival. That's just one of the pros. Sakura has a lot of admirers in our grade, even if she's a bit lacking in common sense. We'll just blame it on love, temporarily, but there's only so long you can remain at a lowered IQ state without actual losing those brain cells."

She didn't notice how quiet Dosu had become. "Also, those two know a lot of the more popular people in the school, and if I could just become acquainted with them… Dosu? Dosu, what's wrong?" She looked at her old friend, who was looking rather strange.

"Sasuke… _kun_?" Is that a name you came up with yourself, or…?

"Oh, Lee-san told me to call him that, and he said it was alright."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be like every other girl then, would I?" Dosu imitated her voice perfectly. He really could be the vocalist if Kin couldn't do it. "What happened to that?"

Kin shrugged. "I need… to get familiar with them to get my award… that's all, Dosu."

"Right. Sure." Dosu waved it away. "Don't forget your little band, though, Kin. I got us a gig."

"Really?" Kin's eyes lit up. They had been practicing immensely hard all summer, but had yet to perform publicly.

"Yeah. It's here. Homecoming Dance next week." Kin's happy expression quickly soured.

"That's right before the awards!" She hissed. "I need to suck up at the dance! I can't play! Can't you get another…"

"It was hard enough just to get this one, and nobody even wanted it. I'm not even sure if people will show, with us playing."

Kin pondered this with a serious expression on her face. "The Homecoming Dance is notorious for having crappy bands play… people actually go there to make fun of whoever's playing. You want to get embarrassed like that?"

To her surprise, Dosu shrugged emphatically. "S'not like we have anything to _lose_ or _gain_, eh, Kin?" He laughed coldly. "We don't have to busy ourselves making friends with popular people from our friend's classes. Zaku and I are very proud of being the rejected, intimidating students, thank you very much." And with that, Dosu turned around and stalked off in the opposite direction of which everyone was running.

Sakura and Ino turned the corner just in time to pass Dosu. They were the last in the class to show up in her group, since they were in a different class than Kin.

"Hey! It's Kin-san!" Sakura waved to her. "I'm so slow!" She laughed humbly.

"You're perfectly fine," Kin assured, more out of forced habit than feeling.

"Ugh… that bandaged boy gives me the creeps." Ino shivered. "You just look at his one eye and get scared, huh?"

"I know!" Sakura agreed emphatically. "It'd be so terrible to be his friend! I would feel _so_ sorry for them!"

"They'd have to put up with his creepy eye and his stares all day… and those bandages… I wonder what happened? Probably some horrible, disfiguring disease." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed quickly. Eyeing Kin, she asked, "What about you, Kin? What do you think of that creepy guy?"

Kin's mind wasn't very involved into what was going on, but she subconsciously realized they were asking for her opinion on her moping friend. "He's… grumpy."

"Grumpy?" The two looked slightly disappointed at this general comment and its lack of an insulting quality.

"Sure." Ino waved the awkward moment away. "Asuma-sensei's gonna threaten to fail me again. Gotta go. Meet you at twelve by the courtyard, 'kay, Tsuchi-chan?"

"Sure, sure." Kin assured the two, before turning away and looking in the direction Dosu left for. Doubt filled her heart again.

_I'm befriending them rather well… they're not that bad… _She thought of how they talked about Dosu like he was some sort of virus. _Okay, so they aren't the nicest people in existence… but I can stand them. Dosu's just jealous because I'm making friends with people with some actual social status!_ Kin huffed, stomping her foot in her indignation. Dosu _knew_ how hard she worked to get the TFS Award, and how much time she put into their band in the summer. Frankly, he was just jealous!

This thought fixated in her mind, an angered Kin turned in the opposite direction and marched off to finally meet up with the rest of her class.

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**END NOTES:**

1) Kin is badly out of character. Forgive me.

2) If you can imagine it, yes, Dosu is walking around in a high school blazer _without_ all the fuzzy things he wears, but he has bandages over his face.

3) The summary mentioned something about her band. Gasp. Shock. Their band will eventually work its way into the story… somehow.


	3. Part Three

**REVERBERATING DOOM**

By Hitokiri Midori

**Started:** August 4, 2004 [11:07PM]

**Author's Notes:** Thanks so much for the reviews, Ignorantly Grinning, Fiery Love, and Rikona! The suggestions really helped me.

**Fiery Love:** I changed the word to "childish" in the first chapter. I have nothing against homosexuals at all (if anything, I support them), but I was trying to express how certain guys I know tend to be… _frightened_ of the prospect as if it were like cooties or something. I'm terribly sorry if it offended you (or any of the readers) and I deeply apologize. bows

**Rikona:** Oh my goodness oo What a terrible typo for me to make… over… and over again… Well, I fixed it. Thanks for pointing it out ; embarrassed

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**PART THREE**

"Minna, this is Tsuchi Kin-san!" Sakura introduced Kin to a large group of people. She received mixed reactions in return. Lee belted out a very loud, "WELCOME, KIN-SAN!" while Shikamaru, a boy who Kin thought had hair shaped like a pineapple, mumbled, "This is so troublesome…" Sasuke had his usual "Mmm" reaction that could barely be audible, so it was easy to pretend he didn't speak.

"So, Kin-san, what class are you in?" Naruto asked cheerfully, slurping down his ramen. There were twelve of them, and they all drawn days to pick where their group would eat. Every other Tuesday, Naruto and Neji switched off choosing. Usually, their group preferred the latter, as Naruto demanded the same place. Every day. Even days he wasn't allowed to pick. Naturally, it wasn't surprising that most people actually brought their lunch today, with the exception of Naruto, Chouji, who brought a lunch and bought ramen in addition, and Hinata, who was seen passing her lunch to Kiba under the table.

"I'm in Class A." Kin answered coolly, before remembering she was supposed to be social. Slapping on a grin, which she felt was rather silly, tried to spark a conversation with a longhaired boy a few seats down. His eyes were closed, but she had the feeling that they weren't normal eyes.

"So, are you in Class C?"

She received no response from the dark haired boy. She moved on to the person sitting beside him, but slightly removed from the others. He wore round, dark sunglasses and had spiky black hair. "What about you?"

The boy, in truth, seemed more interested in the fly passing by than her, so she tried another. "What class are you in?" She asked a heavyset boy, who was obviously enjoying his food. He wasn't holding back at all. He swallowed down bag after bag of potato chips, before downing it down with a bowl full of steaming ramen.

"I'm so sorry, Kin-san!" Ino laughed. "The people you're talking to aren't very social. That longhaired one is Hyuuga Neji, the guy with the classes is Aburame Shino, and you just tried to speak to Akimichi Chouji while he's _eating_. It can't be done. Nothing distracts him from his food."

Kin laughed nervously, thoroughly uncomfortable now. She had no desire to hang around these people any longer. They all looked as if they knew each other from previous experiences, something she could not compete with. Besides, they weren't exactly an interesting lot, either. They had been lunch for a whole hour and nobody was beaten up or sued yet. She remembered the constant death threats from various restaurant managers when she dined with her friends. They rarely did anything wrong, but when they did, it was catastrophic. News got around, and restaurants started banning them. They got quite a new taste for cuisine, considering they had to eat at a different one every time. If she were to hang around these people, she wouldn't get a chance to even see them anymore… and if they got mad at her…

"Is something wrong?" Kin turned, surprised, to see Sasuke asking her that question.

"Oh, everything's fine. Thanks for inviting me today, Sakura-san, Ino-san. I have to go back." She told the two girls while standing up.

"Alright. We'll see you later!" Ino waved as Kin excused herself from the table and walked out. A few of the group noticed her run on the street, past their window. She looked distraught; her long, rich tresses flying behind her as the purple ribbon was slowly undid itself in the wind.

Not surprisingly, Zaku and Dosu chose to eat at Dosu's apartment. Kin realized they had a strange tradition of only eating out when Kin was with them, and otherwise, they always ate at Dosu's. She didn't realize this as whenever she was with them, Dosu acted like he had thousands of dollars to spend at whim. He couldn't bring himself to stop her when she saw a pair of shoes she liked while window-shopping, and he couldn't help but offer to pay for her latte.

The two were picking at a bowl of rice with some vegetables that looked questionably old. Kin stepped through the open doorway, and mentally stopped herself from scolding Dosu for keeping it open.

She heard chopsticks drop, and looked up to see Zaku gaping at her.

"I thought you were eating lunch with your new _friends_," Dosu grumbled, scarfing down the bowl of rice as if it suddenly become five-star cuisine.

"What happened to your hair?" Zaku asked, his voice sounding strained.

"Hmm?" Kin examined herself in the mirror. Her hair, which had always been tied back by a purple ribbon, was missing, leaving it to cascade down her back freely. Gasping audibly, she examined the tip of her hair. "The ribbon…"

"Where's the purple ribbon I gave you?" Zaku demanded. "For your seventh birthday? Do you remember?"

Kin remembered, alright. It had been the only birthday present she ever got from him, but maybe that was why she treasured it so much. They had been fighting earlier, so she didn't expect anything from Zaku at all. Dosu always gave her a customary birthday card or a small trinket, but Zaku rarely did anything but bring cake over.

Maybe that was why she was so surprised when he showed up without a cake that day. She didn't really expect anything, but she didn't want to have to live under such strained relations anymore. Back then, Zaku's mother lived with them, usually to flee from his violent father. His mother made a cake for her that day, since Zaku didn't buy one. Dosu came in with a card and an empty stomach, and patted her on the back, which was rare enough for someone like him.

But he had a small box with him, wrapped in reused wrapping paper and without a bow. It looked rather grimy, but there was a box he made himself inside. The purple ribbon was inside, looking so neat and clean, different from the rest of the packaging. Zaku mumbled something that sounded vaguely apologetic and thrust the present in front of her face, looking away as if he were embarrassed. It still made her smile when she thought of it.

"Well? Where is it?" Zaku pressed, and Kin blanched. She couldn't let him know she lost it; it would completely destroy their friendship, which was already growing precariously thin. She never dedicated any time to them or their band, and she was the one who kept putting off their gigs, anyway.

"It's… It's… I had better go! School's starting soon! I mean, I need to go to tutorials!" She cried, backing out of the door. The wind blew her hair in front of her, and she suddenly felt how strange it was to finally feel the hair on her shoulders. The ribbon was tying anything back anymore. Was this freedom? Freedom from friends who would only pull her down?

Kin shook her head, the hair flying behind her. Bending down on her knees and ignoring how grimy she was becoming, she slowly retraced her steps from Dosu's apartment to the ramen shop. By the time she got to the street, she was thoroughly covered in sweat and dirt. Breathing heavily, she leaned against the moldy wall of a store and groaned loudly.

"Where is it…?" She mumbled, fighting the desire to hide her head in her hands. She needed to take a bath, but she needed to find that ribbon first…

"You skipped afternoon classes for this?" She looked up to find the one person she didn't want to- and couldn't afford to- see in her state of shabbiness.

"Ah… Uchiha-san, what are you doing here?" She forced a cheery tone into her voice, despite the fact that she was grimy, weary, and smelly.

"I never expected the candidate for top female student to skip class and crawl around in the street." He said coldly. Kin stared at him before she could help herself. Was he really just a shell? He was a handsome shell that the girls all loved, but why did he never accept their love? Maybe, if they got a hold of him, the shell would shatter and then, they would realize how hollow he was.

"Well…" Kin chuckled, mostly at her own stupidity. "I'm looking for something that I lost." Her mind shifted to Dosu and Zaku. Recently, it's as if the gap between them was growing larger. It was harder to hang out with them and feel at ease. It was almost as bad as hanging with Sakura's group.

"This?" To her surprise, Sasuke held up a purple ribbon. It wasn't nearly as dirty as she was, so he must've found it right after it dropped. She allowed her mouth to fall open and openly displayed her surprise.

"How did you…"

"You crawled through the streets for four hours looking for _this_?" Sasuke looked disgusted, but handed her the ribbon. "We found it right after we left the ramen shop. That's what you're in front of, after all." Kin looked up to see herself standing at Ichiraku Ramen.

"How did you know it was mine?"

"I'm observant." He said simply, before turning his back to her and simply walking away. A couple meters down, he said in a monotone, "You don't deserve that award."

"What? Why?" Kin got up now, enraged. "I'm grateful you found my ribbon, but you're not at liberty to say that! I'm better than all the other air-headed candidates!" She declared.

"Nobody will vote for you." Sasuke answered without hesitation.

"Why? Is it because I'm not as good looking as Sakura? Is it because her hair is glossier than mine? Why are you so damn shallow, Uchiha?"

"It's not just me." Sasuke began to walk away again. "You're not even a good friend, are you?"

Kin shifted uncomfortably as a crowd began to cross the street, and the boy disappeared into the crowd.

"It's not my fault, is it?" Kin asked herself weakly. "That little girl doesn't know what it's like to be me…" Being banished from your home when you were a mere child, forced to live and support yourself from the time you were seven… she felt so lonely now.

But she didn't feel lonely back then. Why didn't she? She remembered how tired she felt from coming home from the only work she managed to get as a ten year old. She scrubbed the floors endlessly in a neighbor's restaurant, earning only enough for some small pocket money, but it often had to be loaned to Zaku's mother to pay for the apartment expenses. As they got older, they could make more, but it still wasn't…

Wait. Zaku's mother? And Zaku, too… she wasn't alone then. Maybe that's why she felt the stinging now, but she didn't remember it back then. She remembered how he used to come in every year, on the same day, with a poorly made cake and smirk sheepishly.

She sighed, and leaned against the wall. She felt very old, suddenly.

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She sang with more conviction than she felt for the last few months combined. Too many thoughts swirled around her mind, and it was easier to just focus on the music Dosu wrote. She didn't even notice that the music stopped already. Dosu's steady drumming beat ceased, and Zaku's guitar stopped it's strumming.

"Kin." Dosu tried to catch her attention, but she kept belting out the tunes. Zaku covered his ears.

"She sounds even worse when she's pissed." He grumbled, before taking the liberty to smack her on the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" Kin snarled. Her hair was still damp from her long shower. She had walked home to the apartment Zaku and her shared, grateful to find that he wasn't there. It had taken her over an hour to wash the grime out of her hair and off her skin. Shortly after, she headed for Dosu's. Today was Thursday, which meant band practice. She had blown them off on every other practice day, after all…

"At least you don't suck after not practicing for so long." Zaku glared.

"I already said I'm sorry for skipping so many times!" She spat back.

"The point is, are we ready for the Homecoming Dance?" Dosu interrupted them. "We don't have to play for the entire time. At some point or another, a DJ is taking over. We'll do the seven we originally planned."

"I wrote three of them." Zaku huffed proudly. "Even if Dosu wrote the rest, mine are still good!"

"No. I switched out one of mine with the only one Kin wrote." He showed his partner the sheet of paper. "See? The last one is the one Kin did." Kin glanced at the slip of paper.

"You're going to perform Paper Kill?" Kin gawked, before mentally cringing. It had originally been a low-quality poem she had scribbled to vent frustration for her classes. Zaku, being the nosy brat that he was, dug through her notebook and found that little tidbit. He also came up with music for it, and expected Kin to do all the singing in that song. She groaned.

"Oh, please. Anything but that."

"It's the only one you wrote!" Dosu protested. "We _are_ putting something you wrote in there." He said with a tone of finality.

"What are you going to do about your socializing problem?" Zaku asked suddenly, leaning back on his chair. "If you don't want to sing with us the entire time, there are a few we can do as a duo. You're eventually going to have to come on stage, especially for Paper Kill."

Kin paused. "I don't know yet. We'll see then."

Dosu raised an eyebrow. "That's unlike you. You normally like to plan meticulously."

"Well, maybe I'm changing, huh?" Kin snapped at the bandaged boy. "Grow up! People change, Dosu!" Dosu frowned, but found himself unable to comment.

"Whatever." He said finally, leaning on his drum set. Zaku fingered his bass guitar carefully.

"I'll play bass tomorrow in Paper Kill, which means you get the total lead with guitar and vocals, Kin. Don't screw us over." He warned.

"Shut up." Kin spat. She wasn't in the mood for this.

"Are you going to show up and play, or not?" Dosu demanded. "You keep avoiding a direct answer."

Kin paused, brooding. "Come on, guys." She looked up pleadingly. "The award is awarded the day after the dance… if I show up on stage with you guys…"

Their eyes hardened. Dosu was widely known for being a freak, and Zaku a dangerous bully. Sure, _Kin_ knew that Dosu was just picky and Zaku didn't like being judged or pushed around, but for the most part, they didn't hang out inside school. What if it were publicly known, especially at an event like the Homecoming Dance? Everybody went, even if it was just to make fun of the band that played. It was like a ritual now. The women competed among themselves to see who would be Homecoming Queen with Sasuke, who was always Homecoming King. The boys who were dateless went to torment the bands, which seemed to digress in quality more and more every year. But this year, _they_ were playing.

She didn't exactly get a head start in making friends. She had just barely managed to introduce herself to Sakura's group, but they would all obviously vote for Sakura, who made good grades, joined the volleyball team, and was pretty.

Kin buried her face in her hands. The other two did not respond at all. Instead, Zaku picked up his electric guitar and started playing the chords in a familiar song. Why did it sound so vile when he was playing it? Paper Kill was a song that belonged only to her, but he made it belong to everybody. Dosu's drumming picked up, and on cue, Kin had nothing to do but start singing.

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**END NOTES:**

1) I just saw the episodes with the Sound-nins fighting Sakura in the Forest of Death. (I'm just trying to get it right- is it the Shi no Mori? I'm not sure about 'shi' but the rest sounds right) Okay, _everybody_ is so out of character. I mean, Zaku and Dosu were willing to attack Kin. Zaku and Dosu seem to watch out for each other… a _lot_ –coughyayforyaoicough- but Kin doesn't seem to be very attached to them. So this is OOC. Argh. This is frustrating, especially after I tried so hard to keep them in character.

2) Why did I put the ribbon in there? I'm not sure. If you guys haven't noticed, Kin wears a purple ribbon at the end of her hair.

3) Sasuke is rather grumpy and moody and all around ruffled in this fic. Keep in mind that this is from the sound-nins point of view, which means they view our happy main characters (as in, the leaf-nins) as the enemy, so except for Rock Lee (who will remain the _awesome_ good guy no matter _whose_ point of view I'm doing), the rest get to sound like bitches. Sorry.

4) I'm getting to the climax. Somehow. Ohohoho.


	4. Part Four

**REVERBERATING DOOM**

By Hitokiri Midori

**Started:** August 9, 2004 [6:08PM] (Finished September 3, 2004, 5:57PM)

**Author's Notes:** I actually wish I didn't stick Orochi in the plot line… now I've got too many conflicting stories. Let's see if I can work this out… Sorry this isn't the greatest chapter. TT" Sorry this took so long… school started and I get about three hours of sleep a night now. Argh! I hate the IB program! (If you all know what it is, it's similar to high school AP) Evil.

**PART FOUR**

"It's raining." She looked outside, speaking to herself in a muffled awe.

"It is?" She was surprised to hear a response. A taller young man was sitting beside her in the gymnasium. Dressed in all black, his sallow face looked paler than death. Shuddering involuntarily, she responded as civilly as she could, "Yes, it is." She glanced outside. "But it's still sunny."

It was true. Despite the glaring sun, the drops continued to fall. Each one was heavy, like a small bead of glass, shattering as it came in contact with the earth. It shattered as it came in contact with the soiled, desolate world the earth had become to be.

"It's a marvel, isn't it?" Kin didn't like how his voice sounded so twisted. His whole appearance was twisted, and the way he smiled and acted gave off such an aura it almost made her cringe. "Are you here for the homecoming dance preparations?"

"Yes, you could say that…" Kin cast a glance towards Zaku and Dosu, who were setting up their equipment. She couldn't help but notice that people seemed to shy away from the two, as if they were something contagious, like a virus.

"Are those two your companions?" The boy continued to press further, but Kin tried to return with the shortest, sharpest answer possible.

"Yes."

"Are you playing tonight?"

"Maybe."

"Do you have a partner to go to the dance with?" Kin froze at this.

"Who _are_ you?" She cried indignantly. "I'm sorry, but I've never even met you before!"

"You probably have, but don't remember it." The boy continued languidly, as if there was never an interruption. "My name is Orochimaru."

Kin paused, wracking her memory. "Orochimaru… the genius of the twelfth grade? You're the one they say is a once-in-a-decade genius?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Orochimaru smirked. "After all, I am the greatest. I hate fools who never cease their futile, incessant quest to become stronger. I've had my eye on this certain boy in your grade, but he's always surrounded by a fan club. So, I was wondering if you'd like to escort me, as the dance committee has forbidden me from coming without a date. I guess they think I'll kill someone. Also, your buddies down there owe me money and if you don't give it back I'll break their arms-"

He took a deep breath as a pause. After all, all evil geniuses have to take time to meticulously explain their works. It is in the instinct of all artists and geniuses to explain their works to the foolish mortals who don't 'get it.'

Oh wait, did I say mortals? I'm sorry. No one said anything about Orochimaru inventing a crazy jutsu and becoming immortal. Cough. Cough. Oh dear, does anyone else feel a draft in here?

Changing the subject, Orochimaru looked up, expecting a captivated audience listening to his recital of his plans. He always had some creepy sophomore chasing after him offering their bones in sacrifice for his greatness, or juniors with white hair and round glasses always calling him "Orochimaru-sama," but never has anyone blatantly _ignored_ him.

He looked at the space Kin sat at earlier, which was now vacant. A certain sophomore who called himself Kaguya Kimimaro was snarling at a junior named Mitarashi Anko. While the two were locked in the ultimate fight to the death, Orochimaru was shocked beyond belief. Kin was nowhere to be found, which could only mean…

She was bowing! Smirking to himself, Orochimaru looked down only to find… that crazy group nobody talked to polishing his shoes. They called themselves the Sound Four. It used to be Sound Five, until Kimimaro broke his skeletal system and he couldn't go with them to intimidate freshmen.

"Fools! Get off my shoes!" He commanded, kicking the four away. They scattered to the four corners of the gym, as Orochimaru has a rather mean Flying-Kick-o-Doom™ that could rival Tsunade's Punch-o-Doom™. "Where is that insolent little brat?" He scanned the room to see… the back of Kin's head. She was walking away from him, _the_ Orochimaru! How dare she? How could she-

"Oy, Kin! Help us with the amps, will you?" Zaku called out. "They're really hard to set up!"

"They wouldn't be so hard if Dosu didn't want to tie them on his arm!" Kin spat back before stomping out of the gym, still disgusted that that… that… _pale _senior tried to ask her to the dance. Apparently, her temper had not improved between the previous night and this afternoon.

"It's a fashion statement!" Dosu defended, not even glancing up. He was too busy strapping the metal amps on his arms.

"You have to admit, they look kind of dumb." Zaku smirked.

"You don't look that great either, with that helmet… thing… of yours!" Dosu protested, still struggling to strap on the strange material around his forearms. His sleeves kept getting in the way, however.

"Dammit… I shouldn't have bought such a huge blazer…" He cursed as the cloth fell over his arm again. As he was about to pull it back, another hand got there first. Zaku held up the sleeves. Dosu looked up, mildly surprised, and Zaku smirked.

"What would you do without me?"

Dosu merely rolled his eyes before strapping his 'accessories' down.

"Tsuchi-chaaaaaan! Who are you going to the dance with?" Sakura screeched, leaping up upon the annoyed girl. Inwardly, Kin twitched. She wished Sakura would respect what people called personal space. With Kin's current mood, her personal space extended to a radius of ten miles around.

"No one, currently." She answered through gritted teeth. _Don't forget the award_, she reminded herself. Oh yeah. The award. What award?

The one she worked so hard for. It indicated she was the best, and there was no one superior to her. She slaved over her homework, exhausted herself by practicing an hour longer than anyone else in volleyball and lacrosse, and still practiced flute every day… only to find she needed to be popular too. Oh, right. Because students voted, and students were never fair.

"Oh, really? Do you want to come with me to ask Sasuke-kun to go with me?" Sakura continued, as Kin looked around, trying to find an excuse. Sakura leaned close to her, trying to pull the puppy-dog eyes act. Inwardly disgusted at this girl with glossy hair trying to persuade _her_ to do something for her, Kin chastised herself. She loved being self-dependant, and the way this girl and her friends seemed to stick together in a big group and rely on each other disgusted her, frankly.

"Er, no… I have to go do my hair." Kin lied. "Lately, the humidity from the rain has been so bad towards everybody's hair. They aren't glossy at all." She fingered her long locks. She felt as if the grime from crawling in the street still remained. She wanted to shower, suddenly.

"Ahhh! Really? I need to go do my hair too, then!" Sakura exclaimed, running off. Kin exhaled deeply, feeling as if a load had just been lifted off her shoulders. Turning to exit the empty hallway, remnants of a week of school remained. Papers with bad scores written in red littered the hallway. It must've been from the test their class received back today. Broken pencils and chunks of erasers were in corners, collecting dust. After all, it was Friday afternoon, the Homecoming Dance was tonight, and no one except for her was thinking about the semester award ceremony on Saturday.

She had no umbrella and no desire to stay in school any longer. Stepping into the sunny day, she let the rays of sunlight and thin strings of rain fall upon her shoulders.

"Hey. Zaku." Dosu kicked his friend's foot when Zaku didn't notice him.

"What?" He demanded. "I'm busy here!" Zaku was having a valiant fight with the wiring leading from the larger speakers at the sides of the makeshift stage. As no one in the dance committee seemed to want to help them and the only people even in the gym were the creepy outcasts of the social society, he was on his own for this one.

"Does that guy look familiar?" Dosu's gaze drifted to Orochimaru, who was sitting haughtily in the bleachers, as if examining them. "Childhood friend, third cousin twice removed, guy we saw at the ramen stand… anything like that?"

Zaku squinted. "You're right, he does look familiar. But I don't remember from where."

Kin flipped over the lyrics to her song one more time. Her stomach churned. Did she really want to perform in front of the whole school? Everyone knew the bands at homecoming were lame. A couple years ago, apparently a band with someone from their school in it performed and never appeared at their school again.

This time, it was with _Zaku_ and _Dosu_ nonetheless. The two most feared students in their grade. Sliding even lower in her seat, she felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her. The rent for their apartment was due soon, also. She honestly didn't know Zaku managed to procure money for the bills month after month, especially since he liked to spend foolishly on his equipment. If he didn't get better habits, the two of them would eventually have to just move in with Dosu someday.

She opened shelf after shelf, hoping to find some cash stored away somewhere. She glanced at the bill, and flinched. There was no way the money from her second-rate part time job was going to pay for _that_. Zaku didn't even work.

So why was there a huge wad of money strapped together with a single rubber band lying at the bottom of his drawer? Kin reached for it and counted quickly. There was nearly two-thousand dollars, more than enough for rent and about enough food for more than half a year, if they spent wisely. How on earth did he get this? She needed to ask him. Gently tucking it back into its place as if it were explosive, she quickly shut the drawer and glanced at the clock. It was six, and she needed to get ready.

"Neji! You're prettier than a girl!" Ino laughed as the sullen boy shot death glares at the blond witch.

"It's all Lee's fault." He grumbled something about losing a bet and having to wear a mustard yellow suit to the dance, which he didn't even want to come to in the first place. He blamed Lee and Tenten. Damn them. Daaaaaamn them.

"Come, Neji! We must show off our sensible fashion tastes to everyone!" Lee declared, pulling along his companions. He was dressed in a bright green suit that looked rather rubbery, like spandex. Beside him, Tenten, who was wearing a hot pink dress with lots of ruffles and frills, was thankful that it didn't hug his body as tightly as the training suit she had the misfortune to see him in. The three of them bet on what Gai-sensei would wear to the dance, and Lee won. _Who_ knew that silly old man would come in a green parakeet costume? Who wears a green parakeet costume to a dance? Who even owns one?

As his prize, Lee declared that he would decide their own costumes for the dance. Of course, he chose the neon green suit for himself, and the mustard yellow one for Neji. As for herself… well, Tenten decided she would try out the spiked punch and get intoxicated enough to forget this night ever happened.

"Neji-niisan…" Neji heard a squeak near his shoulder. "That suit brings out the color in your eyes…"

"Come to mock me, have you?" Neji hissed at his cousin. "You know very well I _have_ no colors in my eyes! I see you chose a simple gray dress, Hinata-_sama_! Always the conservative one, aren't you? Well I tell you, the main branch is all-"

"Hyuuga! Finally, you're wearing something that doesn't make you look like a grumpy snowball!" Kiba came up with Shino, who looked like he wanted to be there about as much as Neji did, and smirked. Always, always with the smirking. It made Neji want to rub that smirk in his face.

When Neji decided the Inuzuka boy wasn't even worth responding to, Kiba took it as an okay to continue his taunts. Frankly, they weren't amusing at all. Hinata gasped in horror as Kiba began to denounce Neji's appearance.

"Oh, my _mother_ has a better haircut than that, although with that do, I guess people do mistake you for a mother a lot, eh? Is that flab I see on your arms, Hyuuga? Not exercising enough, eh? Well, you always were so feminine-"

The last thing Kiba saw before his nose met the ground and everything went dark was Neji's feminine hand meeting his face at rapid speed.

"Kiba-kun! Neji-niisan!" Always the pacifist, Hinata looked back and forth between the two worriedly. She had no fight to prevent, however, as the dark-haired boy had already stomped off, leaving Kiba face-flat on the floor.

Kiba, you've been voted off the island. Along with Hinata and Shino, who would've leapt at the opportunity to flee from this horrible _dance_ if Shino did absurd things like leaping and displaying emotions. They each grabbed one of his shoulders and tried to cart him off, but it didn't really work since Hinata was significantly shorter than Shino _and_ Kiba. In the end, Shino just pulled the unconscious boy out while Hinata held Akamaru. Way to go for critical thinking skills, Shino!

"I didn't know you had flab on your arms, Neji!" Lee conversed with a still fuming Neji. He and Tenten had to practically tie Neji to the wall. Slapping his cheeks with surprised, Lee continued, "Here I was, delusioning myself in thinking your refusal of my arm-wrestling offers was because you were trying to mask your strength! Little did I know, it was only because you weren't as strong as I had always thought- Uwaaaaah!"

Lee's face was the second Neji's fist greeted tonight. If this continued, the hospital ward would reach an all-time high by eight o'clock. That, or a pile of tactless high school boys would begin to amass.

Kin eyed Zaku out of the corner of her eye. He seemed normal, aside from the natural uncertainty of this whole performance. They knew they hadn't gotten enough practice, but they were natural geniuses at music. Aside from martial arts, music was the one common threat that would through the three of them since birth.

Wouldn't Zaku mention something… _anything_ about a huge wad of money just sitting in a drawer? Dosu didn't seem to know anything about it. The thought of all that money, possibly acquired by mysterious means, made Kin anxious, somehow. He wouldn't… steal it, would he? Dosu and Zaku were rather infamous for their bully-like atmosphere, but she didn't have knowledge of them actual engaging in activities like that.

Dismissing these thoughts as she focused on her agenda for tonight, she sighed. Being a fund-less teenager living with another equally money-less teenager was such a hassle. Poking her head out from behind the makeshift curtains that had been set up in the gym, she surveyed the crowd. Most of them had begun to arrive, but the crowd was never a particularly large one for the homecoming dance. Alas, Sakura and her posse had arrived, along with Sasuke and Naruto, who were both looking rather grumpy. Sasuke seemed to be trying to avoid eye contact with any of the female species, while Naruto kept rubbing his stomach and complaining inaudibly, at least to her ears. Kin felt she was glad for this.

"Kin?" Dosu's voice spoke suddenly, breaking her concentration like shattering glass. Shaking her head in an attempt to bring herself back into her residing dimension, she nodded. "Yes?"

"We're going to start soon. We won't need you 'till about halfway through. You can go if you want…" He offered, waving a hand with an amplifier attached to it.

Tearing her stare away from the strange accessory, Kin nodded. "Er, whatever you say, Dosu. Are you sure you can play properly with those amps on your arm?"

"They help tremendously." Dosu assured her.

"Alright. Break a leg." Kin muttered, slipping out from behind the curtains and into the crowd lithely.

"Well, that was quick. You really think she still likes us?" Zaku grumbled, signaling to a member of the tech crew to draw the curtains. As they did so, a few members of the audience gasped. They knew the band playing at homecoming was less than reputable, but no one expected the two known as the most terrifying bullying duo to start playing. It wasn't a shock when Zaku began strumming screechy chords, so warped they seemed out of tune. Yet, they had an entrancing sort of melody to them. Dosu started belting the lyrics to their song, as if trying to fill in the settled silence with an insane racket. It was impossible to dance to, but by the end of the first song, a few courageous ones had managed to make a beat out of their unique style of music.

"What kind of music is this?" Sakura muttered, expecting at least a trendy pop band. "Oh! Tsuchi-chan!"

Kin, who had been furrowing her brow, immediately attempted to relax and slapped on a fake smile. "Oh, I'm just socializing." She said automatically, before slapping herself at the awkwardness of that statement.

"Er… okay." Sakura latched arms with Kin and pulled her off. "Let's find Sasuke-kun before Ino!" She declared.

"Let's not." Kin mumbled, but allowed herself to be dragged by the cotton-candy haired girl, who had all but pulled out a mighty bullhorn and begun shouting the name of the object of her affections.

"SASUKE!"

And… out came the bullhorn.

**END NOTES:**

1) Again, my apologies for producing chapters with the speed of a sea slug.

2) As much as I hate this, I feel like this is turning into one of those annoying "AU!High school Naruto" fics. goes to bang head on wall

3) This chapter doesn't end in quite a cliffhanger. I'll eventually put the next one out… in winter break or something. Doesn't look like I'll be having too much free time. OO

4) Ignore most of the little plot devices. They don't quite work.

5) Thanks for reading, once again. Your support is really helpful! Please review if you can spare the time, and also, please, no flames. (I am emotionally unstable enough as it is right now without a flame to completely plunge myself into denial. "I am cool. I am amazing. I am loved. I am egotistic…")


	5. Part Five

**REVERBERATING DOOM**

By Hitokiri Midori

**Author's Notes:** Oh my, it's been a while. I apologize for my laziness.

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**PART FIVE**

Kin frowned and clasped her fist tightly. The night got increasingly worse. Every song Dosu and Zaku sang solo was a drop in their popularity. Nobody understood what angle they were coming from, what they were singing about. They were too used to fine young adolescents singing about love. Love they could comprehend.

They couldn't comprehend loneliness and sadness. They couldn't comprehend the shame of sitting alone at lunch, of sitting on top of school buildings just so you could get away from prying eyes… Kin looked around at her classmates. They were just different from her. They were friendly people, but they were not like her. It was as if they were a different breed. The Sound Trio, as they had begun to call themselves, were separate. They were removed from these people. No matter how much Kin tried to befriend these people, there was an inherent barrier that separated herself from the others.

She felt as if part of her was relieved, but the other part knew certain doom. A heavy cloud hung over her.

"We will now be taking an intermission, folks." Zaku announced, and winced when there was a very obvious shout of "YES! FINALLY!" in the crowd. Dosu said nothing but turned, so his back was to the audience, and began to take off the miniature metal amps. Dosu never liked the big black boxes – these were specially made. He tried to focus on taking the amps off and not the dangerous whispering in the crowds that spread like wildfire.

That band stinks.

Zaku felt like he was going to die.

"Homecoming… SUCKS." Anko declared. She had fought with Kabuto over who would accompany Orochimaru on his loan sharking escapade and won. White hair was just too bookish. She smirked and did her tongue thing. But she's a dragon, not a lizard1.

Her Orochi was dressed in an all black pimp suit, _including_ pimp cane. He was feeling good. He had a white band across his forehead that had printed, in big bold Times New Roman characters, "I AM A LOAN SHARK NOW PAY UP."

Hurrah for subtlety! But Orochimaru is, and always will be, a super stealthy ninja. His mother told him so before he killed her, and so did that girl four houses down from his. It's a pity she died. Although, Orochi still had her head in the freezer, she was a pretty little thing.

"Anko." Orochimaru commanded without looking down at her. He had his sunglasses on, despite the fact that it was eight o'clock.

"Uh, Orochimaru-sama, can you _see_ with those glasses-"

"SHUSH YOU! Let the pimp do his thing!" Orochimaru cackled and licked his lips, although with _that _tongue he could have probably licked his whole face and then swallowed it. "Now who's on the hit list?"

"We don't have a hit list, Orochimaru-sama." Anko protested.

"WHAT? You're _fired_! Who's next?"

"I am, Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto came scuttling up, fixing his shoes, and in effect, hopping on one leg. "Sorry," He apologized meekly, "Nobody informed me you'd be playing Donald Trump tonight so I didn't get ready to replace Anko."

"Whatever." Orochimaru waved his hand impatiently. "Now WHO'S NEXT ON THE HIT LIST!"

"Er…" Kabuto pushed his glasses up and put on the classic thinking look.

"Well…? I'm beginning to lose my patience, Kabuto!"

"Hang ON! I'm putting on my thinking cap!" Kabuto groaned. While he fidgeted, he looked up in time to see Tsuchi Kin flee from the dance. She now stood in front, in the open night, catching her breath. Kabuto had no idea from _what_ she was running from. Her hair was in disarray and she looked strained.

"Aha! IT MUST BE HER!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Yes, even more narrow. The dark slits glared at the girl.

Orochimaru had never seen Kin wear a dress before. He expected nothing fancy from her, like blue sequins or low-back gowns, but Kin wore a simple white garden dress. She pulled off the look well – there were no extra frills or trills or trimmings. She simply presented herself as who she was.

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Offense one. Rejecting my invitation. Offense two – ARE YOU WRITING THIS DOWN, KABUTO?" Orochimaru shrieked. In his anger, he ripped off the white band from his forehead.

"Sorry, sorry…" Kabuto grumbled. "One: reject, two…" He began to scribble down.

"Two… SHE DIDN'T LISTEN TO MY DASTARDLY PLAN!" Orochimaru protested. "I'M SO SAD! LOOK AT MY SAD FACE!" Orochimaru boomed, turning to Kabuto wildly.

Kabuto stared.

Orochimaru put on his sad face.

"Well, what do you think of my sad face?"

"I don't know, do it.

"I WAS DOING IT!"

"WHAT! You were doing that whole creepy narrow eye tongue thing!"

"THAT WAS MY SAD FACE!"

"THAT'S YOUR HOMOCIDAL KILLER FACE!"

Orochimaru whipped out a foot long butcher's knife and held it to Kabuto's throat in the blink of an eye. "It's my sad face." Orochimaru hissed.

"Right. Sad face. NOW BLADE OFF MY JUGULAR!"

In their antics, Kin had spotted them and stared. Normal people are inclined to react when they see two people, one of them holding a butcher's knife to the other's neck, but Kin assessed the situation logically.

The one holding the knife was Orochi. The one about to be killed was Kabuto.

"Nothing new." Kin shrugged, when the doors opened, and Zaku and Dosu strolled out.

"Kin!" Zaku called. "Oh good. We need you to play Paper Kill. We're losing the people, here."

Kin began to speak, but bit her lip. She remembered the crowds of people, especially… _that_ crowd that hated their band. The way the laughed at Dosu's bandages and Zaku's brusque attitude. They were quick to criticize.

And if she were to be seen with them?

Kin opened her mouth to begin to speak when a wind blew past her wildly. After finally recollecting herself and straightening, she stared at the shadow standing above her.

"Zaku! Dosu!" She cried, because it is natural instinct to react when a homicidal killer is holding your two best friends.

"I believe you owe me four thousand dollars."

Zaku struggled. "We don't owe you that much! It's not over two thousand!"

"Oh, but there's interest, sweet." Orochimaru grinned and ran a thin, white hand across Zaku's face, tracing it's contours. Then, he turned on Dosu.

"You are a mighty pretty boy," He declared, staring intently at Dosu's one good eye. The rest of his face was covered by bandages. "You hold one of those… injured beauties." He snaked around their bodies, twisting and turning until the two boys found two knifes pointed at their necks. "You kids may think I don't take loan sharking seriously but this is how I make my living, boys. Now pay with your wallets or pay with your life." He grinned, running a hand along Dosu's bandages. His fingers rippled down Dosu's neck before he stopped at a pulse.

"Well?" Orochimaru prompted. When none of the responded, Orochimaru swiftly pressed at Dosu's neck. His tense arms dropped limply, as he was unconscious. Orochimaru's right hand now began to snake down Zaku's neck.

"Wait! Stop!" Kin cried. "The money is at home!"

Orochimaru paused and look up. "Oh? Now should I believe that excuse, Kabuto?"

Kabuto was currently preoccupied trying to stop the bleeding.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CUT ME ANYWAY! MONSTER!" Kabuto wailed.

"Hush up, Kabuto." Orochimaru frowned, and then the idea lightbulb made a little "Ding" sound above his head.

"You, sir," He smirked at Zaku, will accompany me into your tacky home and get my money out." As he said this, Zaku made violent motions with his eyes at Kin, as the rest of his body was restrained by Orochimaru.

"Kin!" Zaku gave up and finally shouted, "I don't have that much money!" He gasped for breath as Orochimaru's grip on his throat tightened.

"Yes you do," Kin said slowly, her eyes on Orochimaru's hand instead of Zaku's face. She racked her brain… they had to have money somewhere. It was possible Dosu could have some money laying around, but not two thousand dollars. Kin had ten dollars folded in her bra. In short, there was no where to get two thousand dollars.

In the gym, she started hearing loud shouting. "THE INTERMISSION'S BEEN GOING ON FOR WAYYY TOO LONG!" It sounded like Naruto was shouting it.

Kin did the math. There had to be at least two hundred people at the dance. If each of them donated ten dollars, they'd have enough. It was a long shot, and nearly impossible to pull off, considering the circumstances. Not to mention the school would skin her for trying to raise money at a school-sanctioned event.

"Zaku will get you your two thousand." Kin said steadily. "You'll get your other two thousand before the end of the night."

Both Orochimaru and Zaku looked at Kin with such a wary expression she swore the two of them looked like brothers. Then Orochimaru flicked his tongue and she violently pitched the idea from her head.

"I need… Dosu, that's all." Kin said steadily. "Wake him. And if you harm Zaku at all while he's getting his money, you can rest assured you are not getting the rest of it."

Orochimaru scoffed. "You think your friend is worth two thousand dollars?" He laughed. "If I cut him up into little pieces I could sell his whole body for around ten million, I'm guessing…"

Zaku gulped, then sneered. "I didn't know you do your own dirty work."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Just part of it. Kabuto will handle the cutting, I'll handle the transaction."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Excuse me?"

Orochimaru seemed to ignore this line of thought, and brushed off Kin's threat like it was nothing. He dropped Dosu unceremoniously, and began to march off with Zaku in tow. "Have that money, Kin."

Kin had already begun to dishevel her hair and ran a hand trough it messily. She ripped off the lower hem of her dress and shook Dosu. He stirred slightly.

"Eh? Who are you?" He mumbled.

"We gotta go play," Kin said urgently.

"Hmm? Now you want to play?" Dosu groaned, holding his head. "What the hell happened to me?"

"You fell on your head," Kin said brusquely, pulling him in. "I've pushed you on your head at least fifteen times in the past. Let's go."

Instead of going in front of the stage, Kin marched backstage and picked up the guitar Zaku left. Dosu had hooked up the amps to Zaku's guitar on his arms, so when they played, the wires intertwined between them like lifelines. The only trust they held towards anything in this world zipped beneath the rubber coating, twisting along the metal inside the wires, each little spark like a faint glimmer of friendship. Faint. Kin bent down and turned the volume up all the way.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." She marched on stage, looking over at the entire crowd but not looking at anyone at all. "There has been an emergency." She stated simply. Dosu, still dizzy, realized she had pushed him into the seat and the drumsticks were shoved into his hands.

"What are you doing?" Dosu snapped.

"This is a life or death situation, my friends." Kin continued, ignoring the ruckus both behind her and in front of her.

"When was Tsuchi-san part of tonight's show?" Sakura turned to Sasuke, who looked like he was trying to escape this whole ordeal in one piece. He shrugged before beginning his fiftieth attempt to slither to the door and into the freedom of the night.

On stage, Kin began, "We need to raise two thousand dollars before the night is over. That is just ten dollars per person." A wisp of desperation seeped into her voice. "If you like any of the music we play for the rest of the night, or just want to support a fellow student, please donate."

Dosu understood where Kin was going and he was already groaning, his face in his hands. How would Zaku's eulogy go? 'He rocked our world?' No, that was far too plain… he needed something with a jazzy feel, or at least a bit snappy, since Zaku was a bit snappy –

"Dosu. Do Paperkill." Automatically his hands picked up and started the beat, but realization dawned on him. This was probably one of the best songs they had, only because Zaku was guaranteed not to sing it. He winced mentally, steadying his spirit for a cry of "Boo!" from the crowd.

Surprisingly, they were silent.

_And this isn't_

_Any old wishful dream_

_Of cherry hearts_

_Dipped with gold_

_High contrast black and white_

_Fifty thousand written words_

_Launch a woman off the cliff_

_Neo-Helen of __Troy_

_Tap your feet_

_Move your hands_

_Drop the bomb_

_It's only your life after all_

_But those fifty thousand words_

_Staring up against you_

_Isn't like you can d-d-d-do_

_Anything about it_

_Anything about it_

_Anything about it_

**END/**

1) From Mulan! "DRAGON, not lizard, I don't do that tongue thing!" Mushu. Come on, you've got to have seen that movie.


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